Real Madrid have been dealt a blow after it was reported Cristiano Ronaldo will not be starting against Manchester City tonight.
The 31-year-old sat out his first La Liga game since August 2014 on Saturday afternoon against Rayo Vallecano, after sustaining a thigh injury in the win over Villarreal last week.
The Portugal international completed the 90 minutes that evening at the Santiago Bernabeu, but clearly seemed in pain and was thus left out of Saturday’s clash at the Vallecas.
However, it seemed as though Real Madrid were prepared to take a risk on the superstar after he was included in the squad that travelled to Manchester this week.
Despite that, Radio Marca are reporting that Ronaldo will not be starting tonight upon his return to Manchester, with Zinedine Zidane not prepared to take a risk.
The aforementioned source reveals that Ronaldo has failed a late fitness test following his thigh injury and thus Zidane has had to reassess his options.
The news will be a big blow to Real Madrid but a huge boost to Manchester City, who must now really be thinking this could be their year as everything falls into place.
The Citizens defeated Paris Saint-Germain in the previous round – a match many expected them to lose – and are being tipped as underdogs for their year’s trophy.
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